Put Money in Thy Purse

Fredric · Post by **Fredric** » Mon Jan 07, 2002 11:00 am

Thought that I'd let everyone know that my copy of Put Money in Thy Purse arrived Friday from merry old England. It only cost $14+ (10 pounds), it's a little warped, got a coffee stain on the cover, but it also turned out to be a FIRST EDITION. The binding is solid and all the pages are crisp, white and ledgible. Quite a find. I also found a folded newspaper article from 1959 in between the pages, also crisp and white. Seems like this little green book hasn't been read in a long time.

I started it this weekend, and just like Jaime said, it is sooo warm. I think I do need a fire and a glass of wine while I read. Mac gives me just enough to whet my appetite. How I wish I were a fly on the wall to hear the actual stories told by Orson and company.

jaime marzol · Post by **jaime marzol** » Mon Jan 07, 2002 10:49 pm

fredric:
yes, what a warm, wonderfull read it is. i loved every minute of it. jaunting across europe with mac. and wine certainly enhances the experince. i've read it twice, and will probably read it a few more times before i have to wear a turban and burn the book, if that ever happens.

mac has such a wonderfull way in PUT MONEY than he has on ALL FOR HERCUBA, HECUBA?? mac's writing voice only challanged by that of henry miller's. and mac does it without saying 'c*nt!'

Jeff Wilson · Post by **Jeff Wilson** » Tue Jan 08, 2002 12:14 pm

You certainly got a deal on Put Money..., Fredric. The cinema bookshop I visisted in London had a beat up first edition copy (belonging to Welles biographer Peter Noble, no less) that the owner was charging about $300 for. He tried to convince me it was great Welles relic that i had to have. I said my paperback copy would be fine. It's a great read, no question.

jaime marzol · Post by **jaime marzol** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 7:33 am

fredric:
great deal on book. great book. i posted the welles chapter of mac's ALL FOR HECUBA book in T.O.E. THREAD 2.

if anyone is interested, at www.half.com, there are 2 copies of lillian ross' PICTURE, for 2-bucks each i think. a great document of how a great film gets whittled to a nub of it's original form, as it passes through the studio mill of the 50's.
a tremendous read. lillian ross' writing voice is most impressive. PICTURE is such a great read, that i ordered ross' HEMINGWAY.

Fredric · Post by **Fredric** » Mon Jan 14, 2002 5:48 pm

I'll tell my mommy that she sure knows how to find books.

About Put Money... Anyone who has read it know the name of Well Known Actress? She sure blew that one. Just got to the end of the first part, which ended with Orson exploding at Michael. Man, he must have had some charisma to throw fits like that and still keep his friends so dear.

jaime marzol · Post by **jaime marzol** » Mon Jan 14, 2002 7:57 pm

i think we have different volumes of the book. i don't remember reading anything in it that i thought was outrageous on welles' part, and i remember welles not being too thrilled with the book. could i have a censored version? mac softened on welles and took stuff out for reprinting?

mine is marked catalogue number 3890/U, says first printed in 1958, but does not say what year this printing is from.

are you refering to page 43, where it says: explosion followed? in mine the worst part is : how did hilton get through life with such a moronic partner.

is there worse in yours?

Fredric · Post by **Fredric** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 9:46 am

You got the part right, and that's the wort part of it. I guess, on the surface, it doesn't sound that bad, but I would never say that to anyone I didn't like, much less someone I did. All Mac did was ask an innocent question.

Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I must have not made that clear, you are going to Rome because . . . .

O: Oh, Heavens! How could you be such a cretin? I'm surprised you didn't figure it out.

Mac's a sensitive guy. He was depressed for the rest of the day. I felt that. Orson must have been awe-inspiring, but he seems to lack any humility from Mac's perspective.

jaime marzol · Post by **jaime marzol** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 10:32 pm

after norman lloyd claiming the welles worked up a big gob of saliva and spit right in a guy's face, and houseman saying welles threw 2 flaming dish warmers at him, being called a moron, and a cretin, is small stuff.

what about the guy who took welles' roll in cornel's romeo and juliet, welles had to play a lesser role. the guy claims that the part in the play where his character sword fights with welles' character, welles was really coming at him, swinging the sword with rage. this is hilarious stuff.

i've always liked welles' answer to him throwing flaming dish warmers at houseman, "i didn't throw them at him, i threw them in his direction."

Fredric · Post by **Fredric** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 11:13 pm

I have to admit, I did laugh, but then I thought, poor Mac. I think he's over dramatic in order to get those he attacks to respond dramatically, then he usually says, "Great! Great!"

Love those Peter Jason stories on Working With Orson

chrissie · Post by **chrissie** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:57 pm

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chrissie · Post by **chrissie** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 6:00 pm

I've read a few pages of Put Money in Thy Purse and really like the style and humour!

Michael's book might not be the most informative or wide-ranging of OW books, but it is possibly the most entertaining! M has a way of putting scenes across in terse format that somehow places you right in the scene. I loved this bit:

"'Impotent,' he roared in (surely somewhat forced) rich bass baritone, 'that's why he hates life so much -- they always do,' continued he (voice by this time down in boots). He then gobbled up some sturgeon, ordered some more, and went on to talk about the costumes, which are to be made in Rome."

Amongst many others -- can't you just SEE this, though? Priceless.

I'm also planning to get Despite the System, maybe McBride, possibly the Stories of His Life thing too. (Though I'm not 100% keen on reaching analyses generally.)

Nate H · Post by **Nate H** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:28 pm

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R Kadin · Post by **R Kadin** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:11 am

You're here reading this because you really enjoy the Wellesnet experience, right? And why not? It's a vibrant, spontaneous, rewarding; a great place to be. Small wonder it's lasted intact for so many years. Kudos galore to Jeff Wilson, a feller far too modest and self-effacing to consider, let alone post, a message like this. Unencumbered by such virtues, however, I have no problem in doing it.

jaime marzol · Post by **jaime marzol** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 5:04 am

chrissie, my god, i loved PUT MONEY IN THY PURSE so much. what a charming, beautiful read it is.

i had not had a drop of alcohol for maybe 15 years (some around here that have read my posts over the last 5 years would argue that). when i read PUT MONEY IN THY PURSE, it inspired me to start drinking again. i will forever be indebted to that book for that. i've read it twice, and drank wine all through the second reading.

the other thing it did for me, it really inspired my writing style. let me correct that, writing style is an oxymoron, like military intellegence. no such thing as a writing style, it's just how you project your voice onto paper. PUT MONEY IN THY PURSE inspired my writing voice more than any of the great authors i've read. none of mac's other books are written like MONEY IN THY PURSE, this book is the only time he was a brilliant writer. other brilliant pieces of writing i've found that affected me in a big way, lillian ross' PICTURE, and an abridged audio tape of henry miller's TROPIC OF CANCER. i have no interest in reading the book. i've heard the book is very graphic. i have nothing against graphic anything, but the abridged tapes of the book are brilliant as is.

hadj, you can get the book from local pubic library. go to 7-11 with 5 cent copies, late at night. while store clerk is snoozing, pirate yourself a copy.

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:13 pm

As much as I like having the photocopied version of anything I don't have, I have a hard-on for the real deal. I prefer my 78-speed sets of The Mercury Shakespeare series, which I don't even have a Victrola to play, to the CDs issued by Pearl. It's just the real thing, article, deal, whatever verses the copy. But I wouldn't argue with the carbon-paper Put Money In Thy Purse at this point. It is NOT available at any of the libraries networked locally, so they all suck. They do have a lot of Cliff Irving books, including Fake (which I've read and loved,) so those I should sample.

Jaime - check out Frank Norris' novel McTeague, which Stroheim filmed page for page and greatly embellished as Greed (or did before Thalburg used the scissors.) I think you'll be surprised by it's power, starkness, simplicity and no-punches-pulled no-BS honesty and cynicism. It was written over a hundred years ago, but could have been first published yesterday. Helluva book.